Hood catch



R. G. MOORE.

HOOD CATCH Filed Feb. 1o, 1932 wm LQ S ttowu,

March 13, 1934.

Patented Mar. 13, 1934 UITED S-TTES OFFICE HOOD CATCH Application February 10, 1932, Serial No. 591,949

14 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in hood catches, particularly of the type having catch means interiorly and at each end of the bood, and which are adapted to be operated by a single ex eriorly arranged operating handle disposed substantially centrally of the hood, the catch means being in the form of rock-shafts adjacent the bottom of the hood and having their axes of rotation longitudinally of the hood, an object of the invention being to provide handle means which may be placed at any desired point vertically of the hood, and movement translating means between the handle and the rockshafs through which the latter may be operated with facility and in a positive, efficient, and reliable manner. t is particularly proposed to provide cam means carried by the handle, and a movement translating rod between said cam and rock shaft means, which may be of any desired length, depending upon the point at which it is desired to locate the handle, and which has freely pivotal connections through which a positive translation of movement is effected between the diiierentially movable parts.

A further object is to provide a hood catch which will compensate for irregularities in the mounting of the hood and keeper brackets, and which will automatically equalize the holding pressure of the plurality of calch means, so that the hood will be held uniformly atv all points. Another object is to provide a plurality of differentially movable catch elements, and equalizing coupling means which will compensate for irregularities that may exist between said elements. A still further object is to provide a hood catch which will eiiectually hold the hood downwardly and inwardly. y

With the above and other objects in View an embodiment oi the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be iinally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:-

Fig. l is a horizontal sectional View through the hood and frame and showing the catch in plan, the same being in its operative position, intermediate portions of the hood and rock-shafts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is an interior elevation showing the operative position of the catch, and indicating Jthe `inoperative position in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters indicate correspending parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the automobile hood l is adapted to close in the usual manner against the lacings ll and l2 of the radiator frame 13 60 and cowl portion 14 of the chassis.

Upon the inner face of Jthe hood, and preferably at a central point between the hood ends and near the upper edge of the hood side, there is riveted or otherwise suitably secured a bracket 65 plate 15 having a pressed up circular boss 16 provided with a central aperture 17 in alignment with an aperture 18 in the hood. A shouldered cylindrical bearing bushing 19 is secured within the aperture l7 as by swaging over, as at 20, and pro- 70 jects into the aperture 18 in the hood, so that it is sligh ly outside of the hood surface to form a suitable bearing for the operating handle presently to be described. The boss is preferably dished, as at 21, in surrounding relation to the aper- 75 ture 17.

The handle 22 is provided with a reduced diameter shank 23 which is journaled in the bushing 19, and at its inner end is projected inwardly from the bushing and is provided wilh shouldered 80 iiat surfaces 24-24 at opposed sides, and upon which a anged barrel cam member is rigidly secured, as will presently more fully appear.

The barrel cam member is preferably in the form of a sheet metal cup having a base 25 85 flanged outwardly at its edge, as at 26, a cylindrical cam wall 27, and an outwardly extending ange 28 at the inner end of said wall, the flanges 26 and 28 forming with the cam wall 27 a relatively wide annular channel. The base 25 is pro- ,90 vided with an eccentrically disposed aperture 29 corresponding in shape to the latted end of the operating handle shaft 23, and which is engaged upon said flat shaft end against the shoulders formed by the flat surfaces 24-24 and secured by a washer 30 and a headed screw 31 screwed into a threaded hole 32 in the end of the shaft 23, this assembly at the same time retaining the handle in its bearing.

The cam is engaged by the loop end 33 of a 100 movement translating rod 34, which may be conveniently formed from wire stock bent to shape, and which is bifurcated at its lower end as at 35 and pivotally connected by a bolt 36 to the rock shaft coupling and equalizing member 37, presently to be more fully described.

A bracket plate 38 is secured interiorly oi the hood at a central point between the hood ends and near the lower edge thereof. A pair of rock shafts 39 and 40 are provided upon the interior of 110 Vinproximity to the hood ends.

the hood extending at each side of the bracket plate 38, being journaled near their inner ends in bearing brackets 4l and 42, preferably curled from the bracket plate 38, and journaled near their outer ends in bearing brackets 43 and 44 secured interiorly to the hood. The rock shafts are bent at their inner end extremities to provide offset crank ends 45 and 46, preferably disposed parallel to the rock shafts, and at their outer extremities are bent to provide U-shaped offset crank ends 47 and 48, the offset of these crank ends being relatively greater than that of the crank ends 45 and 45 and also being angularly offset with respect to said crank ends 45 and 46.

The crank ends 45 and 46 are loosely engaged in the socket ends 49 and 50 of the equalizing coupling member 37. This member may preferably be formed of two pieces of sheet metal pressed out to form cylindrical sockets and assembled by bending the longitudinal lugs 5i, vformed on one of the members above and below the socket portions, over the longitudinal edges of the other member, half portions of the sockets being pressed out from each member.

It will be observed that the connection of the rod 34 vto the coupling member permits free swinging movement of the end about an axis transverse to the coupling member, while the engagement of the loop end 33 with the cam member permits the rod to swing freely on the cam about a horizontal axis parallel to the hood.

In order to rotate the rock shafts into operative and inoperative posit-ions the handle 22 and the cam carried thereby are adapted to be rotated through 185. In the operative position the cam is swung upwardly, and is adapted to be yieldably retained. For this purpose the cam is provided at its high point with a flat detent surface 52 which is engaged by a flat portion 53 of the loop portion 33 of the rod 34, a clearance being provided at the bottom of the loop to enable `the cam to clear the flat portion 53 as it is rotated,

the rod having a slight upward movement as the cam is disengaged from the detent. It will be understood that in the operative position the rockshafts 39 and 46 are under tension and exert a Adownward spring pressure on the coupling member and rod 34, so that the detent surfaces are yieldably held in position.

The crank ends 47 and 48 of .the respective rock shafts 39 and 40 are adapted to engage angular keeper brackets 54 and 55, suitably 'mounted on the radiator frame and cowl, or upon any other convenient part of the chassis These brackets are illustrated as formed of sheet metal and their engaging faces, which are preferably disposed at an angle of about 45, are respectively provided with pressed out rounded ribs 56 and 57 for engagement by the rounded crank ends, this arrangement providing positive irm engagement, irrespective of variations in` the mounting and disposition of the parts.

'Ihe crank shafts are formed of a suitable spring metal so that the crank ends 47 and 48 may be sprung to a different angular relation to the crank ends 45 and 46 under the torsion and tensional effect of the rock shafts. As above pointed out the crank ends 45 and 46 loosely engage the socket ends 49 and 50 of the coupling member 37, so that they not only rotate therein but may have a differential movement, in which case the coupling member assumes a non-parallel position.

The operation is as followsf As shown by dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3 the iood catch is in its inoperative or released position, the crank ends 47 and 48 in this case depending so that they clear the keeper brackets as the hood is closed against the lacings. As the handle 22 and cam 27 are turned to their operative position shown in full lines the rod 34 is swung to its upper position and rotates the crank shafts upwardly, rst bringing the crank ends 47 Vand 48 under and into engagement with the keeper brackets, whereupon they are sprung under tension as the movement of the handle is completed, in which position the flat surface 52 ofthe cam engages the flat portion 53 of the loop 33, and the parts are thus yieldably held in operative position under the tension of the rock shafts.

In the event that any irregularities in the hood, or in the mounting of the keeper brackets, or in the independently formed rock-shafts, causes one of the crank ends to be engaged before the other the loose connection of the rockshaft with the coupling member 37 is such that tension will not be applied to this crank end until the other crank end engages its keeper bracket, whereupon tension will be applied equally tothe two crank ends irrespective of such irregularity, and the hood will be held with the same pressure at one end as at the other. The member 37 thus functions as an equalizer between the two 'rook shafts.

have illustrated and described a preferred and satisfactory embodiment of my invention, but it will be understood that changes may be rade therein, within the spirit and scope vthereof, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what 'I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

l. hood catch actuator, for operating keeper engaging catch means, comprising operating handle means rotatable about an axis transverse to the hood surface, cam means carried by said handle means, movement translating means comprising a cam engaging portion and a connecting portion adapted to be connected'to said catch means, and whereby movement of said cam means is adapted to impart movement to said catch means to move the latter into and out of keeper engaging relation.

2. A hood catch actuator, for operating'keeper engaging catch means adapted to swing about a horizontal axis parallel to the hood, comprising operating handle means rotatable about an axis transverse to the hood surface, cam means carried by said handle means, movement translating means comprising a cam engaging portion and a connecting portion adapted to be pivotally oonnected to said catch means, whereby movement of said cam means is adapted to impart movement to said catch means to move the latter into and out of keeper engaging relation.

3. A hood catch actuator, for operating keeper engaging catch means, comprising operating handle means rotatable about an axis transverse to the hood surface, eccentric cam means carried by said handle means, and movement translating means for connecting between said cam means and said catch means comprising a loop portion engaging said cam means and a connecting portion adapted to extend from said loop portion to said catch means, and whereby movement of said cam means is adapted to impart movement to said catch means to move the latter into and out of keeper engaging relation.

4. A hood 'catch actuator, for operating'- keeper engaging catch means, comprising operating handle means rotatable about an axis transverse to the hood surface, eccentric cam means carried by said handle means, movement translating means for connecting between said cam means and said catch means comprising a loop portion engaging said cam means and a connecting portion added to extend from said loop portion to said catch means, and whereby movement of said cam means is adapted to impart movement to said catch means to move the latter into and out of keeper engaging relation, and detent means cooperating between said loop portion and said cam means adapted to yieldably retain the catch in its operative position.

5. A hood catch actuator, for operating keeper engaging catch means, comprising operating handle means rotatable about an axis transverse to the hood surface, eccentric cam means carried by said handle means, and movement translating means for connecting said cam means and said catch means comprising a loop portion engaging said cam means for both swinging movement about the cam axis and an axis transverse thereto, and a connecting portion adapted to extend from said loop portion to said catch means, and whereby movement of said cam means is adapted to impart movement to said catch means to move the latter into and out of keeper engaging relation.

6. A hood catch actuator, for operating keeper engaging catch means, comprising manually operable cam means, and movement translating means comprising a cam engaging portion and a connecting portion adapted to extend to said catch means to actuate the latter upon movement of said cam means.

7. A hood catch actuator, for operating a plurality of independently movable structurally separate keeper engaging catch means, comprising coupling means adapted to be movably connected to said respective catch means and adapted to be moved to move said catch means into and out of keeper engaging operative relation, manually operable cam means, and movement translating means comprising a cam engaging portion and a connecting portion extending to said coupling means, and whereby movement of said cam means actuates said plurality of catch means.

8. A hood catch actuator, for operating a plurality of independently movable structurally separate keeper engaging rock-shaft means, comprising coupling means adapted to be movably connected to and adapted to operate said respective rock-shaft means, manually operable cam means, and movement translating means comprising a cam engaging portion and a connecting portion extending to said coupling means, and whereby movement of said cam means actuates said plurality of rock-shaft means.

9. A hood catch actuator, for operating a plurality of independently movable structurally separate resiliently yieldable keeper engaging rock-shaft means, comprising coupling means adapted to be movably connected to and adapted to operate said respective rock-shaft means, manually operable cam means, and movement translating means comprising a cam engaging portion and a connecting portion extending to said coupling means, and whereby movement of said cam means actuates said plurality of rockshaft means.

10. A hood catch actuator, for operating a plurality of independently movable structurally separate keeper engaging rock-shaft catch means, comprising equalizing coupling means adapted to be movably connected to said respective catch means for differential movement between them and adapted to be moved to move said catch means into and out of keeper engaging operative relation, manually operable cam means, and movement translating means comprising a cam engaging portion and a connecting portion extending to said coupling means, and whereby movement of said cam means actuates said plurality of catch means.

11. A hood catch actuator, for operating a plurality of independently movable structurally separate keeper engaging catch means, comprising coupling means adapted to be movably connected to said respective catch means and adapted to be moved to move said catch means into and out of keeper engaging operative relation, manually operable actuating means, and movement translating means between said actuating means and said coupling means, and whereby movement of said actuating means actuates coupling means and said plurality of catch means.

12. A hood catch actuator, for operating a plurality of independently movable structurally separate keeper engaging catch means, comprising coupling means adapted to be movably connected to said respective catch means and adapted to be moved to move said catch means into and out of keeper engaging operative relation, manually operable actuating means rotatable about an axis transverse to the hood surface, and movement translating means between said actuating means and said coupling means, and whereby movement of said actuating means actuates coupling means and said plurality of catch means.

13. A hood catch actuator, for operating a plurality of independently movable structurally separate keeper engaging rock-shaft means each having keeper engaging crank means and operating crank means, comprising coupling means adapted to be loosely connected to said operating crank means and adapted to be moved to move said keeper engaging crank means into and out of keeper engaging operative relation, manually operable actuating means, and movement translating means between said actuating means and said coupling means, and whereby movement of said actuating means actuates said coupling means and said plurality of rock-shaft means.

14. A hood catch actuator, for operating a plurality of independently movable structurally separate keeper engaging rock-shaft catch means, comprising equalizing coupling means adapted to be movably connected to said respective catch means for differential movement between them and adapted to be moved to move said catch means into and out of keeper engaging operative relation, manually operable actuating means, and movement translating means between said actuating means and said coupling means, and whereby movement of said actuating means actuates said coupling means and said plurality of catch means.

RAYMOND G. MOORE. 

